Essential Components of a Home Recording Studio Setup
Hi there! It’s Jordan here from COBRA Music Studios. You’ve probably landed on this page if you’re looking for some advice on Home Recording Setups. Given the current state of lockdown, a lot of musicians are turning to trying recording at home to publish content for their viewers. In this guide you will find the basic aspects of what you will need to be able to setup a Home Recording Studio! If you need any further information that isn’t below, feel free to get in touch and we would be happy to help!
Computer
More often than not, you computer will be perfectly fine for home recording. If you plan on recording many tracks in the same session and building on the track count, then you may need a slightly more powerful machine. Each piece of software has different system requirements - if you’re using a Mac and Apple Software (Logic Pro X or GarageBand), then they can generally run on any Mac machine.
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
A DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation is the piece of software that you will use to record, edit and mix your track in. There are many different DAWs provided by a whole host of manufacturers. We’ve put together a little list below of DAWs, each with different layouts and complexity. Take a look and see what may work best for you!
An Audio Interface
You need a way to turn analog/acoustic sounds (vocals, guitars, etc.) into a digital signal into your computer. That’s where the audio interface comes into the loop. Just like the DAW, there are hundreds of Audio Interfaces available to purchase online from many different retailers.
The majority of interfaces do exactly the same thing as each other, there are certain features that some will have over others - but for home use, you probably won’t need these. Likewise, there are numerous configurations of how many inputs/outputs there are on the interface. You may want to plug in your Vocal Microphone and Guitar at the same time - or if you’re a drummer, you may want 8 or so inputs. If you’re a singer/songwriter, you’re probably only going to need a 2 channel interface. We’ve attached some great ones below!
Focusrite Solo - 1x XLR and 1x Jack Input
M-Audio Air - 1x XLR and 1x Jack Input
Native Instruments Komplete Interface - 1x XLR and 1x Jack Input
Roland Rubix22 - 2x XLR/Jack Inputs
Focusrite 2i2 - 2x XLR/Jack Inputs
Presonus Studio - 2x XLR and USB C for New MacBooks
A Microphone, Stand and XLR Cable
As with any piece of studio gear, the first question you need to ask yourself is ‘how will I be using this’? Condenser microphone, dynamic microphone or ribbon microphones? Which one should I get for my home recording studio based on the type of recording work I do? Different microphones carry different characteristics and the type of microphone you will need will all depend on what you are recording and the type of sound you’re going for. If you’re planning on just recording vocals, we have attached some great options below.:
You’ll also need a microphone stand and an XLR cable. You can get some microphones that come with an XLR, so double check the mic that your buying doesn’t come with one before you purchase one. See below for a few stands and cables - the only thing that you need to think about is how long you need the cable to be!
A Pair of Headphone or Studio Monitors
You have to hear what you’re recording! You probably already own headphones though! Great, you can start recording and mixing on headphones. You can always listen to your mixes in the car, in order to get a reference for how the headphones are positively or negatively shaping the mixes. If you’re going to be doing a lot of home recording, investing in some studio monitors may be a great idea. But until then, just get a great pair of headphones! You can use them even when you aren’t record then as well!
So there you have it! Grab your computer, download a DAW, plug in your interface, microphone and headphones and you have your mini home recording studio. If you need any help setting anything up or are after any more information, feel free to send us a message. We would be happy to help!
Jordan
COBRA Music Studios
info@cobramusic.wales
